Bar Le 21 Maspalomas. For the first anniversary of Bar Le 21 at Yumbo in Maspalomas, Maspalomas Gay Life met Florian and Patrice.
They moved to Gran Canaria in July 2025. They share their life change, the meaning of the number 21, and the identity of a bar that became a warm meeting point.
The name of the bar and your story
The number 21 is very symbolic for you. Can you explain why and how it guided the name of the bar?
Yes, completely. Some numbers become signs. In our story, 21 comes back again and again.
Our house in France started on June 21, 2018. We inaugurated it on September 21. We got married on August 21, 2021. And when we decided to change our life and start a new chapter in Gran Canaria, we arrived on July 21.
These are only a few examples, but 21 has followed us for a long time. It feels like a kind sign from life.
So when we had to choose a name for the bar, it was obvious. 21 represents our story, our choices, our life changes, and all those small coincidences that do not feel like coincidences anymore.
Today, we also want 21 to belong to our customers. 21 can be the number of a meeting, a night out, a song, a birthday, a new friendship, or simply a good moment together.
Let’s find out who Florian and Patrice, the owners of Bar Le 21, are.
To start, can you introduce yourselves and tell us about your professional background before coming to the island?
We are both from Ariège, in the south of France.
Patrice worked as an account manager in a communication agency. At the same time, he also worked in a music bar, so he already knew nightlife.
Florian was a business owner in plumbing.
We love music, friendly places, and parties. What we like most is to welcome people, share, and create good moments.
After our professional life in France, we decided to change our life and live our passion in the Canary Islands through Bar Le 21.
And for a personal detail, Patrice is a Leo and Florian is a Libra. It is a mix of strong character and balance, and it fits us well.
The Gran Canaria turning point
Since when did you come to Gran Canaria on holiday, and what marked you the most over the years?
We came regularly to Gran Canaria for several years.
Over time, the island, and especially Yumbo, became more and more important for us. It was not only holidays anymore. We already felt a bit at home.
Why and when did you choose Gran Canaria as your place to live? How did the idea of taking over a bar at Yumbo start?
We fell in love with the island and with the unique atmosphere of Yumbo. It is a place where people seem to live freely and intensely.
In France, we already wanted to build a project together, in a field that fits our personalities.
And there was Yumbo. We had been coming there for years. We had a real connection to it. We already felt at home there.
When the opportunity came, everything aligned naturally. A project for two people, a place we loved, and a strong desire to change our life. The idea grew in a very natural way. It felt obvious.
The business adventure of Bar Le 21
Who helped you in this adventure?
First, we relied on each other. It is a real couple project.
We also had support from our family and friends.
On the island, we got help for the administrative steps. Then we became more independent quickly, especially because Florian speaks Spanish very well.
For the renovation work, we were also very independent. Florian can do many things in construction, and Patrice learned a lot next to him over the years.
Did you already have experience in hospitality, or was it your first time as owners?
It was our first time as owners. But we still had a solid base.
Patrice worked in nightlife for a long time, next to his weekday job. He learned a lot from a boss who became more than an employer. He became a real friend and a mentor.
He taught him the basics and the details of the job. How to welcome people, how to serve, how to work behind the bar, how to create cocktails, how to organize, and how to build a good relationship with customers.
For Florian, it was different. He mainly worked as a waiter during his studies.
But our complementarity, our social skills, and our desire to learn helped us adapt fast.
You work as a couple and you also have a team. Can you tell us about it?
Working together as a couple is a learning process, but today it feels natural. We are complementary.
Today, we are four people.
Nicolas was already part of the team before we arrived, and we naturally decided to keep him. He knows how the bar works, he knows the customers, he speaks English and Spanish very well, and the feeling was good from the start.
Then Olivier, a long time friend, came to visit for a holiday. Very quickly, we asked him to join the adventure.
We have a very good team spirit. Everyone has a role, but we can always rely on each other. We believe this solidarity is our strength.
The customers and the atmosphere at Bar Le 21
What kind of customers do you have? More French speaking or international? More gay or mixed?
We have a very mixed clientele.
Of course, we welcome many French people, because of our accent from the south of France and the connection we create easily.
But we also welcome many international customers. English, German, Spanish, and people from all over the world.
This is exactly what we wanted. A bar open to everyone, gay or not, where everyone feels good.
What makes Bar Le 21 different from other bars at Yumbo?
It is the atmosphere first.
We want a friendly and warm place where people come for the music, the cocktails, the meetings, and mainly to feel good.
We welcome people with smiles, our accent, and our desire to share.
It is simple, but it changes everything.
Cocktails and signature drinks at Bar Le 21
What are your favorite cocktails and what do customers order the most?
We have several favorites, and we also have cocktails that tell our story.
Among our must try drinks, we have our three signature cocktails of 21.
The 21
The 21 was created for our wedding. It is made with rum and lemonade.
It is simple, fresh, and very friendly, exactly like we are.
The 21 Sunset
The 21 Sunset is vodka, Passoã, pineapple juice, a touch of curaçao, and Sprite.
It is fruity, colorful, smooth, and it works very well with the Yumbo vibe, especially when the night starts to get lively.
The Black 21
The Black 21 is curaçao, lemon juice, vanilla syrup, and Coca Cola Zero.
It surprises people. It is fresh, slightly sour, and it has a twist that makes you remember it.
We also like classic cocktails with our own touch.
And we love champagne based cocktails like French 75, Porn Star Martini, and Mojito Royal.
It is a way to keep a small link with our French roots, while staying festive.
We improve the menu step by step. We listen a lot to customer feedback.
A bar is not fixed. The menu changes, recipes get better, and we keep what people really love.
The French touch at Bar Le 21
What French touch did you add to your menu? Do you offer charcuterie and cheese boards?
Yes, absolutely.
We wanted to bring a little of our south west of France, both in drinks and in food.
For drinks, we offer wines that represent France.
A rosé from Côtes de Provence, red wines like Bordeaux or Côtes du Rhône, and a Chardonnay for white wine lovers.
And of course, champagne. It is a symbol of celebration and a strong part of French know how.
For food, we highlight French products.
We offer charcuterie and cheese boards to share with a drink.
French customers find a taste of home, and international customers discover our products. It creates an even more friendly atmosphere.
We also offer baked camembert. It is generous, melted, and perfect to share.
From November, we add another tradition. French foie gras.
We select it and prepare it ourselves with care before serving it.
But in the end, the French spirit is not only a flag.
It is know how, products, traditions, and mainly the pleasure of sharing.
Music and daily vibe at Bar Le 21
Do you have a specific music program? How do you choose the sound atmosphere depending on the night?
At Bar Le 21, music is not only background.
It is an invitation to travel in time and in memories.
Sometimes, a few notes are enough to go back years.
A meeting, a night out, a first love, holidays, an era, a moment in your life.
We like this idea that music can trigger something.
Our music is made for our customers and it changes every day, depending on the mood and the energy.
We mix hits from past years, big classics everyone knows, current songs, and also artists linked to major Yumbo events.
French songs have a place, but they are not too dominant.
We are a French bar, but our music is international and open to all nationalities.
Everyone should find an artist or a song that brings back a memory.
And we do not have one fixed playlist.
Music lives with the bar, with the public, and with the moment.
We also listen. If a customer has a favorite song, we try to play it.
This is part of the spirit.
Best moments after one year at Bar Le 21
After one year, what are your best stories? Funny, touching, unexpected?
There are many stories, even after only one year.
Some of the most touching moments are customers who cried because they were going back to Sweden and they will only return in one year.
There was also a paper bag with a very touching text written by German customers.
And those same customers gave us the trophy for Best Bar at Yumbo.
This kind of moment reminds you why you do all this.
For funny moments, we have customers from Biarritz who become bartenders for fun.
They show us a new specialty every night while they are on the island.
It brings amazing energy behind the bar.
For unexpected moments, there was a customer who ordered 200 shots to offer them to bar customers and people passing by.
In that moment, you think, ok, we are at Yumbo, everything is possible.
And at the same time, it creates an instant party mood.
Events and community
Does Bar Le 21 collaborate with events like Pride or other festivals?
Yes, it is important for us.
We are proud to be part of the community and to support the events that make it live.
Yumbo is a place of energy, meetings, and freedom.
Big events are part of its identity, and we like to be present.
Bar Le 21 has a gay identity because we are gay, and we naturally want to support this culture, this friendliness, and this spirit.
But like our French identity, our LGBT identity is not a border.
We defend one essential idea. The freedom to be yourself, without hiding, without justifying, and without fitting into a box.
Our door is open to everyone.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, straight, LGBT+ people, or simply people who want to discover the place.
We do not want only to show diversity. We want to live it every day.
We do not want to put people into boxes.
We want to bring different people together around what connects us.
A drink, a song, a memory, a meeting, and the desire to have a good time.
Conclusion
To finish, if you had to summarize this first year in one sentence, what would it be?
In the end, our customers say it best.
We can explain what Bar Le 21 is. We can share our story, our choices, our music, our products, and the spirit we want to offer.
But who can speak better about Bar Le 21 than the people who came inside.
The reviews left by our customers on Google and TripAdvisor are more than a score for us.
They are stories, memories of moments at the bar, and sometimes real encouragement that touches us.
They talk about the welcome, the team, the friendly feeling, the cocktails, the boards, the atmosphere, and mainly the feeling of being good and wanting to come back.
This is maybe the best reward.
We do not need to say that Bar Le 21 is warm, open, and friendly.
We can let the people who came tell it for us.
The 21 is more than a number. It is a story we write together.
Thank you
A big thank you to Florian and Patrice for their warm welcome and for this great interview.
Check out the photo coverage of Bar Le 21’s anniversary party at the Yumbo, on Henry-Falco-Photo.com
If you also want to share your experience in Maspalomas, feel free to contact me. I will be happy to feature your story.
